Laundry compositions and method for making same



Patented Dec. 2, 1969 3,481878 LAUNDRY COMPOSITIONS AND METHOD FORMAKING SAME Lawrence La Verne Schwalley, Whittier, Callf., assignor toUnited States Borax &.Chemical Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif acorporation of Nevada No Drawing. Filed Aug. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 572,663Int. Cl. D061 3/02, 3/06 US. Cl. 252-97 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A bleach composition for use in laundering fabrics isprepared containing a solid bleach material, and a carrier therefor, thelatter being a free flowing granular mixture of sodium borate, sodiumsulfate and water, and the sodium borate having a Na,0;B,0, mo] ratio ofabout 0.22 to about 0.36. Tablets of the bleach composition having acoating of at least one water soluble laundering agent may also beprepared.

This invention relates to improved compositions for washing fabrics andmethod .of making same. More particularly, this invention relates to acomposition containing a solid bleach which is incorporated in a carrierconsisting of a mixture of sodium borates, sodium sulfate and waterincluding water of hydration. Further, the invention includes theconcept of producing tablets from said composition.

The tablets produced as a result of practicing the instant invention maybe utilized in the production of a multifunctional composition whichwhen put into a washing machine releases the various laundry ingredientsin a predetermined sequential manner.

In other words, the tablet of the present invention is utilized as theinner core having a contiguous outer coating of a fabric washing agentcompletely enclosing the inner core.

While, primarily, the present invention is concerned with theproduction, compoiition and use of the inner core, the outer coating isfabricated in the same manner as described in US. Patent No. 3,154,494.

In the stated U.S. patent,.a multifunctional tablet is disclosed thereinincluding as an ingredient of the inner core a bleach material; thepresent invention relates to an inner core including a carrier for saidbleach. However, the recitation that the instant invention relates tosuch an inner core, is not to discount the fact that a compositioncontaining the bleach plus carrier may be employed directly in eitherthe tableted form or as a powder composition.

Broadly stated, the present invention comprises a bleaching compositioncomprising a dried mixture of sodium borate having a Na,0:B,O, moleratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36 and sodium sulfate and bleach selectedfrom the class consisting of oxygen and chlorine water-soluble solidbleaches. More particularly, the present invention includes the conceptof employing the foregoing composition as a tableted inner core with anouter coating contiguous therewith and completely enclosing said core,said outer coating comprising at least one material selected from thegroup consisting of water-soluble soaps, watersoluble synthetic organicdetergents, and water conditioners.

The bleaching composition of the invention is formulated, first of all,by reacting borax or borax liquor with surfuric acid in a quantity sothat about one-half the moles of titratable alkalinity expressed as Na,0is neutralized. Water is then removed or reduced by use of suitabledrying equipment, such as spray drying apparatus, to obtain a dry freeflowing granular substantially amorphous material containing from about8% to about 20% water by weight, preferably about 11 to 16%, includingwater of hydration; and a mole ratio of titratable Na,0 to

B 0 of 0.22 to 0.36, the preferred range being about 0.24 to 0.28. TheNa,0 of the sodium sulfate in the composition is chemically combined andnot titratable. The sodium borate-sodium sulfate composition and methodsfor its preparation are.described and claimed in a copending applicationof Luis H. Castro-Conde, Lawrence La Verne Schwalley and Dwight L.Sawyer, lr., Ser. No. 584,961 filed Oct. 7, 1966. This material is thenused as a carrier for the bleach. The material with the dispersed bleachis formed into. tablets employing conventional equipment. The tablet orthe powder, if desired, may contain minor amounts of innocuous materialsuch as a pigment (ultramarine blue), binders etc.

As noted in the foregoing broadly stated paragraph, the inner coreconsists of bleach and carrier. The chlorine organic bleaches such asthe chlorinated cyanuric acids trichloroisocyanuric acid,dichloroisocyanuric acid, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, and potassiumdichloroisocyanurate, dimethyldichlorohydantoin, n-chlorosuccinimide,the oxygen bleaches such as the alkali metal mono persulfates, thealkali metal perborates, sodium hydrosulfite and the inorganic chlorinebleaches such as the alkaline earth metal hypochlori'tes, are allequally applicable to the present invention.

For a more detailed consideration of the invention attention is directedto the following detailed examples:

EXAMPLE I In carrying out the .invention 38.1 ml. 96% sulfuric acid (70grams) was slurried with 500 grams sodium tetraborate decahydrate(Na,O-2B,O,-1OH,O) and 67 grams of water. The mixture was heated whilemixing. As a result the slurry composition was 50% anhydrous solids and50% water. It was observed that the mixture was a solution at atemperature above 60 C. and a slurry at a temperature below 40 C. Thetemperature at which the slurry composition could be conveniently pumpedwas 45 C.

The resultant slurry was thendrum dried on square foot area dryer at 6.5r.p.m., h; -clearance and -90 p.s.i. steam pressure. The therebyproduced product, comprising sodium borate, sodium sulfate and water,had the following analysis:

Percent Titratable Na,0 11.6 B 0, 51.4 Na SO 25.8 H O 112 EXAMPLE II Thequantities of the water, sulfuric acid and borax were varied from thatof the first example, however, after a two 3 drying in the same mannerthe powder composition had the following analysis:

' Percent by weight Na,0 (titratable as alkalinity) 10.90 Nap(nontitratable-chemically combined) 1038 SO, 13.42 11,0, 47.90 H O(total of combined and free water) 17.40

Total of all oxides 100.00

Bulk density (grams per cc.):

Loose 0.56 Paclted 0.85

Cumulative screen analysisU.S. mesh Wt. percent on U.S. No.:

The dried powder was utilized as a carrier in an amount of 50% by weightfor potassium dichloroisocyanurate in an amount of 50% by weight, andtableted as the inner core for a detergent tablet.

EXAMPLE Ill Again the quantities of the same ingredients were varied andspray dried. The composition had the following analysis:

The dried powder was utilized as a carrier in an amount of 99% by weightfor sodium trichloroisocyanurate in an amount of 1% by Weight, andtableted in a standard tableting machine.

I claim:

1. A bleaching composition consisting essentially of effective amountsof a mixture of sodium borate having a Na=O:B O mol ratio of about 0.22to about 0.36, sodium sulfate, and from about 8% to about 20% waterincluding water of hydration and a bleach selected from the groupconsisting of organic chlorine bleaches, inorganic chlorine bleaches andalkali metal oxygen bleaches.

2. The bleaching composition of claim 1 which is in a tablet form.

3. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the water content isbetween 11 and 16%.

4. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the bleach is in aquantity of between 1 and 50% by weight and the carrier is in a quantityof between 99 and 50% by weight including water of hydration.

5. The bleaching composition of claim 1 wherein the bleach is selectedfrom the group consisting of chloroisocyanuric acids and alkali metalsalts thereof.

6. A substantially dry, table, multifunctional washing and bleachinglaundry tablet for sequential introduction of, firstly, effectiveamounts of fabric washing agents and laundry additives and, secondly,effective amounts of bleach into a laundry washing solution, whichtablet consists of (1) a solid, substantially dry, water-soluble coreand (2) a solid, substantially dry, water-soluble coating contiguouswith and completely enclosing said core, said core consistingessentially of effective amounts of bleach selected from the groupconsisting of organic chlorine bleaches, inorganic chlorine bleaches andalkali metal oxygen bleaches and a mixture of sodium borate having aNa,0=B,o, mol ratio of about 0.22 to about 0.36, sodium sulfate and fromabout 8% to about 20% water including water of hydration, and saidcoating consisting essentially of at least one water-soluble fabricwashing agent selected from the group consisting of soaps, non-soapsynthetic organic detergents. organic sequestering agents, and inorganicwater softeners, said coating being formulated and present in an amountsuch that when said tablet is exposed to said laundry solution saidcoating requires a minimum period of time within the range of from aboutone to about five minutes to substantially completely dissolve, theinner core remaining intact until the outer coating has dissolved,whereby exposure and introduction of said core into said laundry washingsolution is delayed for at least said minimum period of time, and saidbleach in said core is introduced into the laundry washing solution withfreedom from local heavy concentration for affording maximumeffectiveness of said laundering agents and maximum safety for thearticles to be laundered.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,998,310 8/1961 OBrien et a].71-69 MAYER WEINBLATI, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 252-99,

